


A Summer In Italy

by Theyna_Shipper



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, F/M, Italy, M/M, Mortal AU, Nico is a Bad Boy, Summer, Visiting, Will is his mom's friends son, thats it, thats the whole thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 19:21:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21980566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theyna_Shipper/pseuds/Theyna_Shipper
Summary: While Will's mother is touring, he is sent to Italy to spend the summer with his mother's friend, Maria, and her children. He's used to living in Austin, and small town countryside Italy is a big adjustment for him. He's hoping to have a quiet year, improve his Italian, and then get back home.His new housemate has other plans. Because despite living in a small and quiet town, he and his friends know all sorts of ways of finding shenanigansWill spends the summer staying up all night in a graveyard, setting people up, and falling in love.
Relationships: Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Thalia Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano
Comments: 29
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably a wildly overused trope but whatever. Enjoy, like, comment, and tell me what other characters you would like to see.

Will didn't get in until midnight, so naturally he was surprised to see a girl driving up on a motorcycle outside the house he was staying at. A tall girl with caramel skin and a long black braid stepped off. She's wearing a purple crop top and black skinny jeans. As she started walking toward the house, I hear people inside shouting in Italian. My Italian isn't very good, but I can catch the gist. 

_"Reyna's here!"_ A youngish girl's voice?

_"Nico! Will's getting in tonight. You shouldn't have had company."_ Now it's a woman. 

_"It's not company, it's just Reyna! Besides, he gets in late."_ A boy now. 

_"Alright, just don't stay out all night."_ The woman again. 

A boy about my age opens the door. He's wearing dark jeans and a black leather jacket, and his long dark hair is held back in a ponytail. And holy heck, he's gorgeous. 

"Ready to go?" the motorcycle girl asks him. She's speaking English now, and she definitely has an accent, but it's not Italian. 

"Yeah, but I can only stay a little bit. I have someone coming tomorrow," the boy says. His accent is very Italian. 

"Oh, right, your mom's friend's son. You'll have to introduce me." 

"I will. And- oh, I think that's him." He turns to me. "Will Solace?" 

"That's me," I tell him. 

He turns back into the house. He shouts in Italian, _"Mom, Hazel, Will's here!"_

A woman that I recognize from my mom's Facebook comes to the door. This must be Maria di Angelo. A girl with chocolate skin and cinnamon curls stands next to her. 

The family introduces themselves. The woman is Maria di Angelo, the boy is her son Nico, and the girl is his half sister from his father's side, Hazel. The motorcycle girl introduces herself as Reyna. She leaves with Nico pretty soon after I have my bags inside. I wonder if they're together? She seems a bit older, but I can't think who else he'd be running out with at midnight. Although maybe they're just friends. 

Why do I care about this so much? 

Maria and Hazel both speak fluent English- Maria with a very strong Italian accent, but Hazel with what sounds like a southern accent. They explain that Nico is a sort of night owl, and spends time walking around the town with his friends. 

"I like to go with him sometimes, but he and Reyna stay out so late. And sometimes they go to the castle- it's kind of weird up there."

It's a little weird to consider the fact that they just have a castle as a totally normal thing. It's a small castle for a small town- Pratovecchio Stia- but it's really old. And a countess still lives there. Everything in Europe is so old. 

"It's weird to get used to, I know," Hazel says. "I grew up in Louisiana until I was 12, until my mother died and Maria adopted me. But the whole town is super nice. You'll have a great summer. Me and Nico will show you around."

"So how old are you?" 

"Fourteen," Hazel says, "Year younger than Nico. He's your age?"

I nod.

"It's getting late, maybe you should go to bed," Maria tells us. I nod, wondering where Nico and Reyna are. What do you do in this town? Are they smoking or something or are they just driving around?

I'd just like to know more about my mysterious housemate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico, Hazel, and Maria show Will around town. Will learns about the dynamics between people as they prepare for the arrival of tourists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I know the last chapter was short but that's because I'm lazy and I had to finish it on my phone and I hate typing on my phone. I'll make them longer from now on probably. No promises because I'm very lazy.
> 
> Also I forgot that I told the first chapter in third person and now it's in first person and will remain this way.

I wake up late the next day, but no one else is up yet either. I remember it's a) a Saturday and b) summer. Reyna and Nico are sprawled on the couch, asleep in the most awkward positions imaginable. It would be impossible to tell whose limbs were whose were it not for the massive discrepancies in skin tone. I still don't understand their dynamic. 

As I go downstairs, I see Hazel in the kitchen making breakfast. _"Buongiorno,"_ she says. "Sleep okay?"

I nod. "What are you making?"

"Toast. Don't worry, no one here will judge you for eating like an American- I still do and It's been two years. Nico makes fun of me but he doesn't actually care." She looks out on the couch at her brother and his friend. She grabs a box of oats of the counter and throws it at them. 

She's got good aim. It bounces off Reyna's forehead and onto Nico's stomach. The start up, shrieking. They seem to forget they're on the coach, and tumble off from moving too abruptly. 

Hazel vaults the counter- ambitious, as it's not exactly short- and runs over to them. "You guys were out until nearly four last night!" she says, bouncing on the couch. "I swear I'll tell mum!"

"Hazel Levesque, you wouldn't dare!" Reyna shouts, standing up and shoving Hazel onto the floor and on top of Nico. 

"What were you guys doing for four ours in the middle of the night?" Hazel demands. 

"Why do you never go with us? It's not like it's secret, exactly," Nico says. 

Hazel rolls her eyes. "I'm not a vampire, Nico. Some people do need sleep."

"Point taken," Nico says, "But Reyna's not a vampire."

"Goddesses don't need sleep either," Hazel retorts.

"Compliment accepted," Reyna yawns, "But one time wouldn't hurt you. You should hang out with us."

"Maybe now it's summer I will. We can bring Will," Hazel suggests. 

It seems like they had forgotten I was here. They look up for their dog pile. "Oh, good morning," Nico remarks. "Have a good flight?"

His hair is a mess. It looks amazing. "Slept most of it." Why can't I say anything interesting? 

"Smart boy," Reyna tells me. 

At this point, Ms. di Angelo comes downstairs. _"Morning! Is that Reyna I hear?"_ she calls in Italian. 

_"Yes, it's me, Ms. di Angelo. I hope you don't mind I stayed the night?"_

_"Not at all. You're always welcome here,"_ Ms. di Angelo says. _"Would you care to stay for breakfast?"_

_"Oh, you don't have to. I have go to work soon anyways."_

_"Not at all. Please, stay, meet our guest."_

Reyna agrees to stay. Nico joins me in the kitchen. 

"What were you doing last night?" I ask him. "It doesn't seem like there's much night life here?"

Nico smirks. "We went to the cemetery," he says. His voice is deep and gravelly, but also a little breathy. And he has that gorgeous Italian accent. "Still glad you asked?"

"Um. Not really. What do you do there?"

"Talk. What else would we do? You think we're drinking there? Do you have any idea how superstitious rich people are? And everything's so old here; it's dangerous to disrespect the dead," he says in an ominous tone. 

"I don't think our dead are any more or less restless elsewhere," I tell him. "You spent four hours talking in a graveyard?"

"Sure. Why not? It's a bit of a walk from here." He turns to get down a mug. "And maybe a little bit not legal. But no one cares, so don't worry." His apathy is a little worrying and a little impressive. 

Everything I've heard about European breakfasts being not much of a deal is true. They're mostly drinking coffee and eating something small. I try to do the same.

"So, how is your mother?" Maria asks. "I know she was excited to be performing again."

"Oh, yeah, she is. I wish I could have gone with her, but I guess the constant travel would have gotten to me. I'm happy to be here, of course' she's always wanted me to visit Italy, the year she spent here, she really liked it," I tell her. 

"I'm surprised we've never met before," Nico says. "Mum used to visit your mom once in a while back when we lived in New York."

"You lived in New York?" I ask. 

"From when I was five to when I was eleven," he says. "That's where I learned to speak English."

"I used to live in Louisiana, then Alaska," Hazel volunteers. "And Reyna's lived all over the place."

Reyna shrugs. "Not really. I was born in Puerto Rico, moved to the Azores for a bit, then Spain, spent a year in France studying, and then came here."

"Your parents travel for work?" I ask. 

The table goes quiet. Reyna looks at her plate. "My parents are- dead. But we didn't get on. My sister and I lived with relatives until she was eighteen. Then we got work visas and came here."

"Oh.' I don't know how to respond to this. 

"Everyone here has traveled so much," Hazel says, breaking the tension. 

"Not me," I say. "I've only left the state a couple times, and this is my first time out of the country. I've never even been to Canada, or either of the U.S. coasts. This trip was only the second time I've been on a plane."

"Well, Europe is a big one," Maria says. "We'll show you around town today. I don't work on weekends."

"Mum manages the Coop," Hazel explains. 

"Well, speaking of work, I should be going," Reyna says. "Thanks for breakfast. Good to meet you, Will." She turns to Nico. "See you tonight?"

"No, you won't," Maria says. "He's staying in tonight. And no sneaking out."

"Tomorrow, then," Reyna says. "Bye."

Reyna leaves, and everyone starts to disperse to get ready for the day.

Maria, Hazel, and Nico show me all around the town- the touristy and not touristy parts. It's filled with both history, and with modern art. The Arno river is beautiful, and Hazel promises it makes excellent swimming. Nico seems overall disenchanted with the whole procedure- he's seen this all before, and he doesn't seem like much of a one for restaurants and cutesy shops. I can tell he's waiting for another time to show me his favorite haunts. Every so often he gets a text that I assume is from Reyna. 

"So, is this place heavily touristed?" I ask. 

Hazel shrugs. "We get our share. It's a small town, so we aren't packed to the brim, but they'll start arriving in about a week. About half are here for the scenery, and about half for the history."

"History?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Hazel says excitedly. "Dante stayed in exile here in Stia. In the castle. It's a draw, but the tourists we get from it are, as one might expect- bookish. But it's really fascinating, and quite popular."

"Yes, you'd think the connection to Hell might scare people off," Nico remarks. "But they keep coming."

"He didn't just write about Hell, there was also _Purgatorio_ and _Paradisio_ ," Maria reminds him. 

"But it's all extrabiblical," Hazel adds. 

"Bible fanfiction," Nico whispers to me. I stifle a laugh. Hazel and Maria look over at me. 

"Well, it's a small town, so you'll probably see most of it before the end of the summer," Hazel continues. "Everything closes between 1 and 4 anyways, it's so hot, so shall we head home and help you unpack?"

"Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please like and comment!
> 
> Pratovecchio-Stia is a real place in Italy. Some of the locations- castle, some restaurants, some shops, cemetery- are based off my experience there. Historical information about Dante and the noble family is accurate. This place was really just a convenient place in Italy that I knew enough about to write, but it's a cute town.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico and Reyna bring Will into the loop about local goings-on in tourist season.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for abandoning this fic there! After seeing TROS, I became deeply embroiled in Star Wars fics for some time. But I'm back with another chapter at least for now. 
> 
> This overused trope has been a great joy for me to write, since I feel familiar with both the setting and the characters' motivations. The solangelo will be sort of a medium-burn, especially since he's only just getting to know Will. But I promise it will not be too long :)

That night, I realize that I have no idea where most of the stuff in the house is, and after cutting myself while slicing an apple, I go up to Nico's room to ask him for Band-Aids. 

Two people are in the room when I come in. Nico's lying on his stomach on his bed, and Reyna is draped across an armchair in the corner. Their conversation stops when I walk in. 

"'Evening," Reyna says, that cocky smirk eternally pinned to her face. 

"Oh, sorry to bother you," I mutter. "Um, where do you guys keep Band-Aids?"

Reyna opens the a drawer of the nighstand next to her, pulls out a box, and throws it at me. Despite my cut hands, I manage to catch it, and can't help but feel a little pleased with myself. 

Nico gives a few dry, slightly sarcastic claps. "Impressive," he says, "How'd you already manage to injure yourself?"

"I'm not exactly a chef, I'll leave it at that," I tell him. Sounds a lot cooler than _I can't cut an apple._

"Join us," Reyna tells me, gesturing to Nico's desk chair. "Let us fill you in on all the things that I daresay Nico's mother didn't tell you about."

"Don't get him excited, Rey," Nico says. "There's not much risqué going on here. It's not we're crazy rebellious. Going to a cemetery at midnight is just weird, not punk."

"Seems plenty exciting to someone from small-town Texas with a 9:30 curfew," I tell him. 

"Wow, you do not know how to party," says Hazel, slipping in gracefully. Undeterred by the lack of available chairs, she went and perched on one of the Reyna's armrests. "You staying the night, Reyna?"

"Not officially, but yeah, probably," she sighed. "I need some time away from Hylla."

I look to her for elaboration. 

"Hylla's my sister," Reyna explains. "We don't always get along. Or ever. But she leaves at the end of the week, right before the tourists get here, so I'll have the place to myself."

"Just you and your _American lover_ ," Hazel sighed dramatically. 

Reyna just about fell out of her chair in what looked like indignant shock. "I do _not_ have an American lover!"

"Then what, pray tell, do you call Miss Grace?" Hazel teased

"I call her Thalia, thank you very much," Reyna retorted. 

"There's a girl who visits here that Reyna has some history with," Nico explains. "Her rich absentee father rents out the tower for her and her brother all summer, and they basically do whatever they want."

"People stay in the castle?" That sounds pretty cool. 

"On the cottages on the grounds, yeah," Nico says. "That's where Rey works." 

"So do you guys keep in touch over the summer?" I ask. "Seems kind of rough to meet people that will just leave."

Reyna shrugged. "Sort of. But we're not very good at talking long distance, and as I told Hazel, there's _nothing_ real between us."

"That doesn't change the fact that you want there to be," Nico pointed out. "And that she does too."

Reyna rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say. I doubt it. Her brother definitely liked me last summer, but no. Maybe we can find someone else for him."

"Maybe. He's not too bad. How about you Will?" Nico asked. 

"Which way do you swing?" Reyna continued.

"Umm." How is one supposed to answer that. 

"Don't harass him with gossip and romance on his first day, give him time to settle in," Hazel suggested. 

"I'm gay, if that's what you mean," I tell them. "But I'm not really looking for a- summer romance or whatever."

"Really, Will? You come to Europe, alone, in the height of summer?" Hazel laughs. "That's the perfect setup for a tragically complicated rom-com. Now what would you think of Jason Grace? Blonde, blue eyes, tall, glasses, a little nerdy and as pure as a dove?"

"Think we'd be too similar," I say, attempting humor while still clearly turning down the offer. It's not that I'm _not_ interested in dating. I just have someone specific in mind that I'm interested in, so long as I'm in Italy. 

Reyna looked at me up and down and laughed. "You are a bit like him."

"Maybe he's already got a boyfriend, Rey," Hazel says. "Leave him alone."

"Nope, single," I clarify. 

Nico raises his eyebrows and smirks at me. "Interesting." I'm not reading into this but I'm not _not_ reading into it. 

"Well, my small-town Texan," Reyna tells me, "I assure you you will have experienced plenty of teenage drama and romance by the end of the summer. We have enough to go around."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will _definitely_ doesn't have a crush on Nico di Angelo. Even if he's handsome, Italian, and gay. And WIll definitely won't struggle to keep these feelings under wraps in a graveyard at midnight. That's not something that happens to small-town rule followers from Texas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kind comments! I'm trying to split my time equally between this and my Star Wars fanfiction, so updates will get slightly more sparse. In the meantime, check out some of my other fics, and check out @Street_Fighter's Solangelo fic! Please continue leaving the likes and comments <3
> 
> Expect this fic to be very dialogue-heavy.

To be honest, I hadn't entirely believed Nico and Reyna when they said they hung out in graveyards, and I definitely hadn't believed when they promised to take me. Until one day Reyna, in her unique style, showed up outside the house at ten at night and asked if Nico wanted to go for a walk. 

"You coming?" he asked me as he tugged on his jacket. 

I didn't want to turn down an opportunity to spend time with this boy who seemed intriguing and exciting and was a good conversationalist and had a nice voice and shutupofcourseIdon'tlikehimIjustthinkhe'sniceisall. 

"Yeah, I guess," I said. I was starting to get used to staying up late- everyone here did, it was too hot to do anything in the afternoon so they made up for it in the evening. 

"Great," he said, heading out the door. He was glad to have me with him? Great! 

"Hello, boys," Reyna called from the curb. "Bringing him along?" she asked Nico. 

Nico shrugged. "It would be rude not to show him the graveyard."

"So, you guys _actually_ go to a graveyard?" I attempted to clarify. 

"No, we just stand out here," Reyna said, rolling her eyes. "Yes, we go to a graveyard. What, are you scared of ghosts."

"Terrified," I said, realizing that to these two, a flat-out denial will be more fodder for teasing. It was friendly teasing, but they didn't exactly hold back. 

"Good. That's how the ghosts like it," Nico told me. 

"Is Hazel coming?" I asked. 

"No, Hazel never comes," Nico said. "She always talks to her friends back in Louisiana right around now. I mean she comes once in a while, and we don't mind when she does, but it's not her thing. You know, graveyards and staying out late."

"Hasn't really been my thing before, but I guess you have to try it."

"He's catching on," Reyna noted. 

The cemetery was a bit of a walk, but everything was. We didn't do a lot of driving in Stia- the roads were small and windy, and even if the distances were longer, the town was more walkable. I was starting to get used to it, and even liked it, all though a motorcycle like Reyna's did seem like the ideal mode of transportation for a place like this. 

"So, what's the deal with language for you?" I asked Nico. "I mean, everyone here speaks Italian, but you seem to prefer Italian, but your mom speaks Italian at home when I'm not around?"

"Essentially, yes," Nico replied. "I lived in New York for a long time, so I got more comfortable with English. Hazel lived in Louisiana until a couple years ago, so her Italian is still pretty- new. She can carry on fine, but she's not exactly fluent. Mom's always spoken Italian at home, and she prefers it, but she's also fine with English. And then there's Reyna here with her six languages."

_"Six?"_

"Count 'em" Reyna said, "English, French, Spanish, Italian, Latin, and Greek."

"I mean, that's impressive, but why?"

"Grew up in Puerto Rico when I was younger, hence English and Spanish, bounced around Europe for a while so French and Italian, and I've had to study Latin and Greek in school." 

"Alas, I can only boast the four," Nico sighed. "English, Italian, French, and Latin."

I shook my head in disbelief. "How does everyone in Europe speak a million languages? Italian's the only other language I speak, and it's clumsy as heck."

"Well, in Europe, there's a lot of languages packed into a very small space, but in the U.S. there's only a few languages packed into a large space, so we need them more. And we come in contact with them more," she explained. This was when we arrived at the cemetery wall. Reyna vaulted it easily and sat on top. She threw a hand down to Nico, who used it to pull himself up next to her. I was tall enough to boost myself up, thank goodness- I'm sure it took years for Reyna to get over teasing Nico about his inability to climb, even if helping him seemed second-nature to her now. They were such unique and brash people, he wondered what there friendship had been like before, how it had developed. He wanted to know people's stories, but sometimes it seemed that become prying. Everyone has their flaws, and curiosity was most certainly his. 

The shadow of the castle tower quite literally towers over us. The cemetery is at the base of the hill, the castle at the top. On the rough stone wall, I can almost transport myself back to the Middle Ages, staring up at the castle wondering what the count was doing. History was so close to the surface here.

"So you don't feel weird around all these tombstones? Like you're trespassing or disrespecting them?" I asked. 

"Not trespassing, public property," Reyna retorted in a way that clearly indicated that 1) she understood the non-literal aspect of my question and 2) she didn't care. I'd only known her a week, but it seemed like that was Reyna for you. 

Nico answered my question for real. "I'd like to imagine they like that life continues around them, that people still want to be near them. It's not like we talk about anything disrespectful. Sometimes we even tidy up the graves."

"Not your traditional rebellious teens, in short," Reyna concluded.

"Can't say that makes you any less weird," I told them. 

"Thank you," Nico smirked. "So, Rey, you ready for the tourists? They'll start arriving tomorrow."

"Well, that's also the day my sister leaves, and they day I go back to my _good_ job, so hell yes, bring it on."

"Your 'good job'?" I asked. 

"I work at a restaurant right now, I start work at the castle in the summer and drop the waitressing. Castle's a lot mroe pleasant," she explained. 

"Who are we expecting besides the Graces, you know?" Nico asked. 

"Let's see," Reyna began. "Most people are just stopping in for a few days or a week or two, the only people on the hill booked for a long time- that I know of- are two people, the Zhangs I think?"

"Wonder what their deal will be?" Nico inquired. 

Reyna shrugged. "Who knows. Who cares? We've got a whole summer ahead of us without needing to worry about trust fund kids or retirees."

"Bold words from you and your love of trust fund kids," Nico retorted. 

"You better shut up about Thalia or I'm not walking you here anymore. I mean it," Reyna threatened. 

Nico raised his eyebrows. "Funny how I never mentioned Thalia."

Reyna rolled her eyes and shoved Nico. "Whatever. I have to wake up early tomorrow, so I'm going to do the very rare responsible thing of going to bed. You two have fun." She slid off the wall and walked down the road. 

Nico turned to me. "What about you? What are you looking forward to this summer?"

What _was_ I looking forward to? "Meeting new people, I guess. Being in a new place, exploring. Your family seems nice."

"Yeah, they're great. Even if Hazel's so distinctly American."

"I'd say I'm also in the 'distinctly American' camp."

He cocked his head. "True. I suppose you guys can eat peanut butter together."

"You guys don't eat peanut butter?"

"What? No. The closest thing is Nutella."

"That's not- a- replacement for- peanut butter!" I said, incredulous. 

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I didn't mean to pry, but it was hard to help myself, and since Nico's familial construction was, to say the least, unconvential, I found myself asking questions before I realized how invasive they were. "So speaking of Hazel, how long have known her, or lived with her?" Nico's face clued me in on how prying this question was. "Damn, sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"No, it's fine, everyone asks sooner or later, might as well get it out of the way," he said, but I was still embarrased. "I've always sort of known I had a half sister- I know my dad, but I almost never see him, he lives in California and he and Mom don't get along anymore. Then about two years ago, he told us that Hazel's mom had died, and Mary- Ms. Levesque- had specified that Hazel was _not_ to go live with him, but he didn't want her to go into foster care. My mom was more than happy to step in. Me and Hazel- I guess we were both lonely, wanted someone to talk to, we get along."

"Lonely. I get that."

Nico looked at him with surprise. "Really. You strike me as someone who'd make friends easily."

"Oh, it's not that people don't want to talk to me. But I'm always drawn to the least friendly people. And the people I really get along with- my cousins, Kayla, Austin, a few others- I never see. There's Cecil and Lou Ellen, too, but I only saw them at my summer camp. I don't go there any more."

"And am I one of these 'least-friendly people'?"

"I'll admit I don't know yet. You've been conversational enough. But I can't say I'm not drawn to you." _Did I say that out loud?_

Nico laughed. "Scale it back, Solace."

I felt my face get hot. "It's getting late."

He seemed to sense my discomfort. "You're right, let's head home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will focus on Will, Nico, Hazel, and Reyna, of course, but if there's anyone you would like to see make an appearance, please let me know. I don't outline my fics very much beforehand, so there's still plenty of time to work more people. 
> 
> (As I'm sure you've guessed, Thalia, Jason, and Frank will all be coming up later)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will meets the (in?)famous Graces, among others. This definitely isn't shaping up to be a boring few months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with another chapter! I've been finding a surprising amount of time to write. (One final left to go!). Please enjoy!

The walk back was less awkward, as we steered the conversation back to the simpler topics of American food, although I was still wincing at the idea of a summer without peanut butter. No doubt something I'd be made fun of relentlessly by Reyna and Nico, although at least I'd have Hazel as an ally this time. These three seemed to thrive on their combative relationships, so I wasn't not sure how I'd do- surely acting as a mediator was just pipe dreams. Sibling relationships will be what they are, it seems.

A few days later, the four of us were going grocery shopping, when a tourist- a boy about our age- stopped us. "Hey," he said. He was _very_ tall l is the first thing I notice. He could look Reyna in the eye, and that's no small feat. "I um, heard you speaking English. And Italian. And- I don't speak Italian, and, sorry to bother you, but can you, um, help me find some stuff." He had a strong Canadian accent. 

"What do you need?" Reyna said. "First day groceries? Bread, fruit, breakfast?" She's terse, but I supposed it was her way of being helpful and efficient. The Canadian boy was both impressed and intimidated, the sort of first impressions Reyna was fond of. 

"Yeah, I guess," he said. "I was looking for, um, bread, butter, melons, milk, and yogurt?"

"Three out of five, not bad, could be better," Hazel remarked. Was "guess-what-the-tourist-is-looking-for" a favorite game of theirs. "Hazel, by the way, nice to meet you." She offered her hand. 

They boy looked rather flustered. He shook her hand awkwardly. "Frank. I'm here with my grandmother for the next couple months."

"Oh, are you staying up on the hill?" Nico put in. "Reyna works there." He indicted Reyna. 

"I- yeah, I am, yeah."

"Nico, by the way. And this is Will, our American visitor," he continued. 

Frank nodded, seeming surprised at the warm introduction. I imagine he'd expected to get his groceries and get out. 

"Well, let's get this bread," Hazel announced chipperly. "Maybe we can help Frank with his Italian while we're at it."

\----------

"He likes you," Nico remarked to his sister as we bought our groceries home. 

"That's his problem," Hazel retorted. 

"Yeah, because you're _such_ a heartbreaker," Reyna drawled. "You know the Graces will try to get to know him, they always meet the others. Maybe we'll see him around, and Hazel can have her own taste of summer romance."

"I'm sorry, have we asked my opinion on this?" Hazel demanded. 

I had to comment on this."That was some awfully enthusiastic yogurt selection for someone who wasn't at least a little bit interested."

Hazel rolled her eyes and threw a cherry at me with surprising force. "Let's forget about my nonexistent love life and berate Reyna for still not going to see Thalia. It's been two days!" 

Nico nodded. "Excellent plan. Why haven't you gone to see her?"

"It's like Hazel says, it's been two days! She's still settling in, probably jetlagged as hell. It would be a little- stalkery to go their right away."

"You guys talked a little over the summer, right?" I asked. "That makes it less weird."

"As two people with vastly different time zones who are both _horrible_ at remembering to charge their phones, they texted approximately once a month for fifteen-minute intervals, it wasn't a lively communication," Hazel explained. 

Nico's mother's voice, speaking Italian, wafted down the stairs. " _Niccolo, put the groceries away, and tell everyone else we're going out tonight. Reyna's invited too." ___

__I raised my eyebrows at him "Niccolo?"_ _

__"Yes, like Macchiavelli, no, that's not where the name came from, no, you can't call me that unless you're Reyna and you're mad at me, which is whenever Hazel's not around, any other questions?" Nico replied._ _

__The three of them laughed at my surprised face. Nico had to have been asked that question many times I suppose._ _

__"He wouldn't tell me his full name for literal years," Reyna sighed. "Until he got tired of me calling him by made up names."_ _

__"I probably would have done the same thing if Reyna kept calling me Nickolodeon, admittedly," Hazel said. Reyna laughed at the memory, and Nico rolled his eyes._ _

__We were all surprised by a knock on the door. Hazel went to get it, and came back a few moments later with a dark-haired punk girl who looked moderately confused. "Since you couldn't honor her with your presence, Thalia came to visit you," Hazel said, unceremoniously shoving the girl at Reyna, who was forced to catch her. _You're the worst,_ Reyna mouthed at Hazel over Thalia's shoulder. Hazel blew her a kiss and dragged me and Nico out of the kitchen. _ _

__"While they're spending some quality time catching up, I'll go tell mum that we're getting ready, try not to do anything stupid in the absence of our supervision," Hazel said, waltzing out of the living room._ _

__"I wish them luck," Nico remarked. "They aren't exactly a smooth-sailing couple."_ _

__"They both seem rather... strong-willed. But then again, so are you, and the two of you get along alright."_ _

__He shrugged. "Different circumstance. I doubt I could date anyone as.. strong-willed as me. The arguments would be ceaseless." He turned to me. " _E tu_?"_ _

__I tipped my head to one side. "I guess you could say I don't have enough experience."_ _

__He gave me that ever-so-slightly flirtatious eyebrow raise that he'd been taunting me with for the past week. "Whatever, Hazel's right, we should go get ready,' I concluded._ _


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our little crew goes swimming in the nearby river.

"So, when are we going to take Will to the Arno?" Hazel asked, "Kick off the summer."

Nico turned to me. "You know how to swim, right?"

"Of course." I hesitated, worried that my next question would make me sound stupid. "Um, what's the Arno?"

Reyna snorted. "I swear this is the fifth time we've told you. _The river._ Largish body of water? Kind of hard to miss."

Hazel pulled at the blinds. "It's nice today, even if it's hot as heck. Perfect day, none of us have plans?"

"I'm down," Nico replied. "Someone tell mum?"

\--------------

Which is how I found myself, about an hour later, swimming in a river with the three of them. 

"Race me," Hazel demanded of Nico. 

Nico looked at me helplessly. "I'm going to get crushed," he said. "The girls are too good."

"I'd kind of like to see that." 

He splashed me in mock anger, the cold war shocking but not unpleasant. "Wait up!" he screamed after his sister.

Despite his complaint, Nico was graceful and fast in the water, clearly someone who'd spent years spending hours here in all seasons. Hazel seemed like less of an experienced swimmer, but she had an undeniable advantage in her superior upper body strength. Her victory was slim but definite. 

Nico noticed me. "What are you staring at?" he smirked. 

"Oh. Um. Nothing." I felt a blush spreading across my cheeks. "You're not a bad swimmer."

He shrugged. "Thanks. Experience, I guess. I bet you're fine. I'd kinda like to see you try. Return the favor?"

"Umm..."

"Make him go against Rey!" Hazel squealed. 

_"What?"_ This was a ridiculous proposition, because Reyna is both strong and terrifying. I wasn't bad swimmer, but I'd been watching Reyna dive off rocks since we got here. I was fairly certain she could destroy me. 

"Sure thing," Reyna replied. "Get over here, Solace."

"It appears as though my hole has been dug for me," I remarked. 

Nico laughed. "Don't count your chickens."

Reyna was a shark, cutting through the water rapidly and hungrily, though for what I couldn't say. Victory, adrenaline. I stayed neck and neck with her, maybe an inch behind, until the last ten feet, when through some miracle, I outpaced her and actually beat her. 

Hazel shrieked with laughter, and Nico smiled in surprise. "You're the first," he said. "Where'd you learn to swim like that?"

"Um, I had a pool in my backyard, and I just. Spent a lot of time in it. And I got fast because I wanted to beat my cousin Kayla," I admitted. 

"Did you?" Reyna asked. 

I shook my head. 

"I'll race her sometime, then. I feel like I owe you a medal or something."

"Honestly? Just beating you was an honor."

Reyna scrunched her eyebrows, as if trying to process this comment. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was."

"Well," Nico said. "That was plenty lively. But I'm afraid we have the very important tradition off the highly undignified 'splash fight' approaching, and I'd rather like to start that."

It seemed they'd stop at nothing to fight me today. It felt like some weird way of getting absorbed into the pack. But, you know, in a good way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all sure there aren't any characters you'd really like to see?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hazel interrogates Will about Nico. Will is forced to realize that he's not entirely neutral to the other boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I know it's been a while but @Street_Fighter hasn't been pressuring me into writing which means I spend more time on my Star Wars fics. Also I had finals and competitions and stuff. But I'm back now! Please enjoy, like, and comment.

"Sooo," Hazel drawled to me one afternoon, a few days after our trip to the lake. "What do you think of my brother?"

This question took me by surprise. "He's nice. We get along," I managed. 

Hazel giggled. "You know that's not what I meant. Do you like him?"

"I just said so."

Hazel rolled her eyes. "I mean, do you _like_ him like him?"

"I-" _Heck._

"You do! I can tell."

"I- I only met y'all a couple moths ago!"

Hazel was laughing uncontrollably now. "God, you're hopeless, sweetie. Rey!"

Reyna popped her head into the room, from wherever she'd been hiding in the house. "Mhm?"

"Do you think Will likes Nico?" Hazel demanded.

"I don't think, I know," Reyna replied. 

"OK, do you think Nico likes Will?" Hazel continued. 

"Maybe? I'll try to find out."

"I bet he does," Hazel said. "You two would be so cute together!"

"Chill out," I told her. "I'll just be here for a summer."

"Yeah," Reyna said. "No need to start planning the wedding yet."

" _Yet_. You never know!"

Nico chose this moment to walk in. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, just- girl talk," Reyna laughed. 

Nico raises his eyebrows. "About Hazel and Frank?"

"Definitely," I told him

Hazel glared at having the tables turned on her. I shrug at her. _All's fair._ "I have no idea what you're talking about," she insisted. 

"Sure you do," Reyna said. "He's not so bad. I mean, I'm super gay-"

"Yes, you remind us on a daily basis-" Nico interrupted. 

"You do the same," Reyna bit back. "But I can see Hazel and Frank working out. Definitely. She could use some summer romance."

"Reyna just wants to couple all of us off so she and Thalia won't have third wheels," Hazel said. 

"Oh? What's she doing to Will?" Nico asked. The girls laughed. 

"I'm leaving," I announced. 

"Coward!" Reyna shouted at my back

Now I'm forced to confront the question. _Do I like to Nico?_

The answer comes tragically quickly. _Yes._


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I sort of abandoned this fic, but after having a fanfiction midlife crisis of not updating WIPs, I'm back and ready to be good and update my WIPs. Here y'all go!

“So… um… Frank asked me out,” Hazel said, smiling shyly. We were all sprawled out on the grass in the sun, as usual, debriefing from the day. 

“Good for you,” I told her. “When?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. We’ll walk around town, I guess.”

“Welp, you two have fun. I’m staying over at Thalia’s tonight,” Reyna announced. Nico raised his eyebrows suggestively. She rolled her eyes. 

We were all more than happy to help Hazel get ready for her date. She didn’t want much help. She didn’t want to get dressed up much either. Nico and I forced her to wear a nice white blouse, _not_ a T-shirt, a pair of teal shorts, and a matching scrunchy. Reyna dusted a very fine layer of foundation and glitter eyeshadow across the younger girl’s face, plus a touch of lip gloss.

“You look gorgeous, have a great time, I’ll stab Frank if he isn’t nice to you!” Nico called. I couldn’t help but laugh a little. 

“I’m heading out now too, you boys have fun,” Reyna said, patting us on the shoulder. Nico turned to me.

“Guess we’re on our own for the afternoon,” he announced. 

“Got any plans?”

“Depends on whether you have any?”

“I don’t, why?”

“Then I don’t either.” Nico smirked. 

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?”

“Actually, I do have one plan…”

He grabbed me by the collar of the shirt and kissed me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to confess that I came back to this fic and realized I'd written it in first person and HATED it. Sorry to change the perspective again but WOW this feels wrong. 
> 
> I probably would have abandoned this fic if it hadn't been for your comments, so thanks for that. Chapters still going to be very short. 
> 
> Now is when I'm supposed to add angst and miscommunication but I'll spare you that for now. Time for some Soft.

Will stares at the other boy in shock as they separated quickly. 

"Not that I'm complaining... but where the heck did that come from?"

Nico laughed, actually _laughed._ "I've been flirting with you since you got here, William. It took you forever to notice. Then I thought you weren't interested. But the other day, Reyna told me you said-"

Will cursed. "That girl..."

Nico shook his head. "She has good instincts. I guess we both owe her one."

"Yeah..."

He smirked and grabbed Will's collar again. "Shall we continue?"

*********

Will was sorely tempted to be angry at Reyna's smug look when she sees them holding hands later, but he couldn't. While getting a boyfriend had not been on his 'things to do in Italy' checklist, he was not resentful. 

Hazel, on the other hand, was not smirking or pleased after her date. 

"He acted like her didn't want to be there the whole time," she groaned. "And he couldn't make _any_ conversation. I bet his grandma just made him or something."

"I bet he was just nervous, honey," Thalia- who had quietly joined their group cooed sympathetically. "Try texting him or something. I bet that'll be easier."

"No, forget about it," Hazel muttered. "He'll be leaving at the end of the summer anyways, there's no point-"

"No," Will announced firmly. "You like him, he likes you, we're figuring this out. No point in wasting this opportunity."

Nico nodded. "Will's right. I'll go have a word with Frank. Will, you pep-talk Hazel. We'll handle this."

Hazel blushed. "Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate-"

Nico ruffled her hair. "Of course."

She saw the two boys' hands separate as her brother stood up. "Are you two?"

Nico gave his trademark smirk. " _That_ ," he announced, "Is a conversation for later. I'll go speak with Frank."

"Smack him if you need to," Reyna shouted at his retreating back.

"DON'T!" Hazel shouted back.


End file.
